I’ve been painting for years but I still think I have lots to learn. I look at painting as something that is never fully mastered. There is always something to learn about composition, lighting, mediums, perspective, texture, etc. I am certainly not one of those “know it all” artists who think my art is high and mighty, and I’ve reached the apex of my creation. Nope – no pretentiousness here. This is why I am always open to learning new things and improving my art.

To that end, I have been seeking out tutorials on Youtube on how to paint with acrylic. Now, I’ve used acrylic many times, but primarily work in oils. I think my acrylic paintings need a lot of improvement, and I am willing to take the advice of some other artists who are kind enough to share it freely. Youtube does hold a wealth of advice and techniques on how to paint with acrylic. Here are a couple of the best I have found.

Abstract Art Painting Ideas

This video comes from Peter Dranitsin, an abstract artist from Cleveland, Ohio. I completely agree with his thoughts on painting. He says the main thing artists should do to learn painting is to practice. Do not worry how things will turn out or if everything is perfect. With time and more practice paintings will get better. As he says in the video, every time you paint, “you will get better and better at it”.

In this video, Peter takes a medium sized brush, brown acrylic paint, and begins painting free form – creating different lines and forms, and working with color. He also talks about the thought process while painting. Peter says that the idea of his subject matter comes to him while painting. I can relate here, because many times I do not pre-plan things. He also speaks about using different painting tools to create different effects and designs.

Here are some other tips he shares:

- The less “busy” your design is the better, since it will be more readable to others. Less is more.

- Use of contrast helps certain elements stand out.

- Shade areas outside of main subject when there is too much going on. This is to create a focal point.

- A good idea for beginning painters is to master painting with two colors before moving on to larger palettes.

Acrylic Sketch of an Apple

This tutorial come from The Virtual Instructor, and is a great one for beginner acrylic painters.

Here are a few of the points and steps covered:

- Acrylic paint is relatively new and only appeared commercially in the 1950’s.

- Begin a painting with an under-painting and block in basic colors.

- Build up layers of acrylic color, which will create depth.

- Add highlights to bring out form.

- Colors from acrylic washes get less intense as they dry.

- Use contrast to define the form of the main subject.

I have found many other videos on this subject, but for those who are interested, I will leave it up to you to search for them. (I may feature another post on this some other time) So, if you want to learn more about acrylic painting, just dodge on over to Youtube and type in the phrase how to paint with acrylic in the search bar. Select one of them. Then, to find more videos, take a look at some of the featured videos in the sidebar.

I hope those of you who are learning how to paint with acrylic have found this post particularly helpful.

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